


Where the white moon lingers

by Namless



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Guardian Angels, BTS members cameo, Chef Kihyun, Domestic KiHyungKyun, Guardian Angel Hyunwoo, HyungKi bickering is a lifestyke, Hyunkyun, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other ships to be tagged - Freeform, Tattooed Hyungwon, There will be angst you've been warned, Yoongi is up first, human changkyun, mother hen kihyun, showkyun
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-26
Updated: 2020-02-28
Packaged: 2020-10-18 01:41:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20630999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Namless/pseuds/Namless
Summary: Changkyun sank further in his seat once the man left, fearing the moment he would be asked to call his legal guardians. Kihyun being pissed about it would be an understatement and Changkyun wasn’t sure he would live that down. He glanced again in the direction of the two kids who managed to slip that porn magazine in his bag. They couldn’t be more than sixteen or seventeen years old, Changkyun guessed.“Young and dumb…” He sighed inwardly. Or so he thought.“Like you were?”Changkyun jumped, wondering how he didn’t hear the man coming back.“What are you, a cat?” he grumbled while the officer sat the two coffee cups on his desk.Officer Min shrugged with a smirk “I get that often.”_____In which Changkyun is a trouble magnet and he gets assigned a certain Hyunwoo as his guardian angel...





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I picked up the prompt MX-71 that asked for guardian angel Shownu so I am here to deliver! This is my first Monsta X fest so I hope you'll enjoy this as much as I had fun writing it. This work will be a chaptered one (sorry, I can't do short lol). Exceptionally, this upload will have two chapters: the prologue and chapter one. After that, it'll be one chapter after the other. But enough talking, have fun with this Showkyun :D
> 
> Also, shoutout to [Em](https://archiveofourown.org/users/OverTheMoonShine/pseuds/OverTheMoonShine) for beta reading the prologue!

After rasping his knuckles against the tinted glass door, Hyunwoo waited patiently until he heard his superior’s voice calling. The doorframe was a bit tight and probably for the umpteenth time, Hyunwoo wondered how Dongwook managed to pass through with his two pairs of wings when he himself only had one and struggled so much already.

“Sir.” he bowed curtly.

“Hyunwoo.” Dongwook nodded in return, eyes glued to a handful of papers in his hand.

Hyunwoo stood there without a word, discreetly observing his superior. Then his gaze wandered around the room. It was pretty empty save for his boss’ desk, the chair said boss was sitting on and the thin bookshelf on his left. No window. Just the grey walls and the soft neon blue glow they emitted.

“You’ve done a great job on your last mission.”

His superior’s voice broke his intent observation of the bookshelf and Hyunwoo tore his gaze away from the cover title he was trying to decipher, head tilted sideways, nodding. “Thank you, sir.”

“I have received new orders for you.” Dongwook finally glanced up to him. “He was supposed to be assigned a guardian a while ago but you know…” He made a vague hand gesture before sighing, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Do we still have trouble with forming new recruits?” Hyunwoo already knew the answer but his interest was genuine.

Another sigh from Dongwook who started looking through the precariously high pile of files sitting neatly on one side of his desk.

“Still the same old problem. They’d rather join the front battle teams than do our more subtle work. Less prestige I suppose.” Dongwook offered a one-shouldered shrug, visibly jaded by the situation.

“I guess a campaign is out of the question…” 

The suggestion was spiritless, quite literally, but it still got a laugh out of Dongwook. Something small, very brief but Hyunwoo saw the hint of a real smile, crinkling the corners of his eyes. They were not exactly close and their respective positions in the angelic hierarchy made it difficult for them to be friends, Hyunwoo knew that. However, they had some sort of bond, something that knotted itself through two decades of working together, the same desire to do good and do it well. To keep their worlds balanced. Dongwook finally dug out the file he sought, letting it fall in front of him with a sharp sound.

“Here you go.” His superior gestured toward it. “I don’t know how long you’ll have for this one but I guess you’d be eligible for a leave after it.”

Hyunwoo, already grabbing the file, perked up with a smile. “Really?”

Dongwook chuckled. “So much for the workaholic type.”

“I am. It’s just…” Hyunwoo grinned a bit larger, shrugging. “Well, I wouldn’t say no to holidays.”

“Who wouldn’t in our service?” Dongwook observed.

“Right.” Hyunwoo said as he opened the file.

He perused through it, eyebrows knitting the more he went. Pen scratching against paper signalled him that Dongwook was returning to his own task while he was reading about his next mission. There was a lot to take in, not that Hyunwoo was quite surprised by it. The service of guardian angels had been overworked for probably a good century, if not more according to Dongwook. Sometimes, Hyunwoo forgot how old his superior was with how casual and amenable he always seemed.

“This kid is a real problem magnet.” Hyunwoo remarked, one eyebrow drawing up.

“Soon he’ll be called miracle survivor if you don’t get on your way.”

It was half a joke and half a truth, Hyunwoo knew it well. “I’ll get going, then.” he bowed again.

“Hyunwoo.” Dongwook’s voice came just as he was reaching the door.

Hyunwoo turned around.

“Be careful.” Dongwook’s face was solemn.

Hyunwoo could feel something was bugging him. He didn’t ask what though, out of reserve probably. Out of respect for the hierarchy too, most certainly. Hyunwoo could tell that Dongwook reaching out like that was out of genuine care rather than a cold, blanket and formal way of parting. Their service was primarily an administrative one, granted. Bonding over literal piles of paperwork was definitely not the simplest of a task, and their field training missions were so scarce. They still had managed to do just that and while friends would probably be deemed a much too strong word were it to be spoken to describe their relationship, it was still undeniably true. Despite how awkward both of them could be with expressing feelings, Hyunwoo was still able to recognise worry though.

“I will.” Hyunwoo said firmly.

It was almost like he was reassuring a parent before going on a trip alone. Dongwook gave him a tight lip smile as if to convince himself. Hyunwoo bowed one more time, smiling apologetically when he got momentarily stuck because of his wings and finally managed to leave. He didn’t see Dongwook’s features turning sombre as the door closed behind him. Heading toward the checkout desk, Hyunwoo read the file once again, trying to memorize all the important moments in the life of the human he had just been assigned to: Im Changkyun.


	2. Chapter One: Trouble? Trouble.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Excuse me, I’m looking for officer Min Yoongi.”
> 
> Standing in the doorframe was a tall man, black hair styled in a fresh sidecut on the left, the rest of his bangs falling slightly over his eyes. He had very pretty plump lips and a thin nose. A tattoo peeked out from the collar of his white shirt. He was neatly clothed, probably just out from a job interview if Changkyun had to guess. His shirt was tucked in the waist of his slim straight black jeans and he looked nothing short of muscular. Not excessively beef but enough it could be guessed while fully clothed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a longer chapter, at least longer than the prologue! It was truly fun writing it. I apologise in advance though as it is not beta read. I might make slight adjustments to it in the next days, sorry for that! ><

“I swear, I wasn’t stealing!”

The officer lifted his eyes from the report he was typing and looked at Changkyun before heaving a sigh.

“We found the magazine in your bag. A magazine you didn’t pay for.” His eyes returned back to his computer screen. “I believe that’s the definition of stealing.”

“I- What.” Changkyun stumbled on his words.

Changkyun sat straighter in the chair, briefly glancing to his left where the two reasons for his nightmare were sitting with another policeman in the office across the corridor.

“Look, officer…” Changkyun squinted to quickly read the tag on the man’s shirt. “Officer Min.” he cleared his throat. “Officer. I know I don’t have the cleanest record…”

At that, officer Min scoffed, stopping his typing to glance at him.

“But I have a job now, I, I pay my bills on time. I have friends who care for me. I quit that life.” Changkyun slumped a bit in his chair, rubbed his face as best as he could with the handcuffs on. “I’m not like that anymore.” Changkyun said, words muffled by his hands.

The typing stopped again. Changkyun chanced a look between his fingers, curious. Officer Min stood up, sat on the edge of his desk.

“Give me one good reason to give you the benefit of the doubt.”

Changkyun dropped his hands in his lap, surprised by the man’s gentler tone. And even more surprised that asking to be believed worked. The man was now obviously fake toying with a stapler, offering him time to think of a plausible answer. Changkyun observed him for a few seconds, brain wiring so fast he wouldn’t be surprised if anyone actually heard it.

“Why would I jeopardise my job by stealing during my working hours?”

The words rushed out of Changkyun’s mouth, unsure, as soon as the man started to turn to face him. Officer Min adjusted his position on the desk, crossing his arms on his chest.

“Fair enough.” He nodded. “Added to the fact that no new entry on your record was made in over the last twenty-four months, I’m inclined to think you’re telling the truth.”

“Wait. Really?”

Officer Min nodded once more as he stood. “I need a coffee. Want one?”

“Uh.” Changkyun blinked, rubbed his hands over his face. “Yeah, thank you.”

Changkyun sank further in his seat once the man left, fearing the moment he would be asked to call his legal guardians. Kihyun being pissed about it would be an understatement and Changkyun wasn’t sure he would live that down. He glanced again in the direction of the two kids who managed to slip that porn magazine in his bag. They couldn’t be more than sixteen or seventeen years old, Changkyun guessed.

“Young and dumb…” He sighed inwardly. Or so he thought.

“Like you were?”

Changkyun jumped, wondering how he didn’t hear the man coming back.

“What are you, a cat?” he grumbled while the officer sat the two coffee cups on his desk.

Officer Min shrugged with a smirk “I get that often.”

He walked around his desk to open a drawer and Changkyun's eyes followed his moves. Leaning again against the furniture as he stood in front of Changkyun, the man spun a small set of keys.

“Give me your hands.”

Changkyun blinked a couple of times, surprised by the kind behaviour Officer Min displayed. He did as told though he couldn’t suppress thoughts of potentially being tricked. Officer Min simply unlocked the handcuffs, turned to grab a cup to quickly push it in Changkyun’s palms.

“I forgot to ask you what you like so I took the same I usually take.” The man said, not quite looking him in the eyes. “Caramel macchiato.”

Changkyun gave him a curt thankful bow before looking at the cup, frown deep on his face.

“Why are you glaring at it? I didn’t poison it if that’s what you’re wondering.” Officer Min chuckled as he sipped from his own coffee.

Changkyun half-smiled, mind still full of questions. They sat in silence for a few beats, each taking turn in drinking.

“Why are you nice?” Changkyun eventually asked, momentarily setting his cup on the desk to take off his jacket, the warmth of his drink seeping through his body. “It’s weird.”

“Tch.” The officer smirked, eyes on the two kids in his colleague’s office. “Something about the way you worded things felt true I guess.”

It was now the officer’s turn to rub a hand over his face. The man looked a specific kind of tired, one Changkyun knew from having seen many other police officers before him. A tiredness that came from a combination of stress, lack of sleep without mentioning the constant alternating hours of running around after criminals and hours sitting either waiting for something to happen during stakeouts or filling up reports after reports that would probably never get read by a hierarchy looking down on them. Changkyun hadn’t seen that look on someone in a long while. The last time he had, it was Kihyun, leaning against his desk the same way officer Min did. Changkyun’s fingers tightened a bit around the paper cup at the thought. Officer Min’s peculiar drawl brought him back from his not so pleasant trip down memory lane.

“While I believe you, the bookshop doesn’t have any CCTV and for now, it’s your word against theirs.” The officer stated with a chin movement in the teenagers’ direction. “The magazine was found in your personal bag, which doesn’t help you either.”

“In other words, I’m fucked.” Changkyun lamented, staring blankly in front of him.

“I will also have to call a parent or your legal representative.” Officer Min added, much to Changkyun’s chagrin.

“I’m infinitely fucked.”

The officer let out a soft laugh as he returned back to his seat. “Will you get reprimanded that bad? You’re an adult.”

“You don’t know Yoo Kihyun…” Changkyun mumbled, left arm extended to place his empty cup on the desk.

He caught the way the officer’s eyes glanced down at his forearm, a frown quick on his brows. Changkyun instantly retracted his hand, placing the scar neatly framed by his tattoos out of view. For a moment, Hyungwon’s voice echoed in his brain, reminding him he shouldn’t be ashamed of something that wasn’t his doing. Still, Changkyun hated the insistent stares and the - wrong - assumptions that came with them.

“Yoo Kihyun, you said?”

Changkyun nodded, mouth already open on a question but a knock on the door interrupted him.

“Excuse me, I’m looking for officer Min Yoongi.”

Standing in the doorframe was a tall man, black hair styled in a fresh sidecut on the left, the rest of his bangs falling slightly over his eyes. He had very pretty plump lips and a thin nose. A tattoo peeked out from the collar of his white shirt. He was neatly clothed, probably just out from a job interview if Changkyun had to guess. His shirt was tucked in the waist of his slim straight black jeans and he looked nothing short of muscular. Not excessively beef but enough it could be guessed while fully clothed.

“That would be me.” Officer Min said, walking to the man. “How can I help you?”

The very slight frown of the man’s brows instantly smoothed up when it was confirmed he was in the right office, eyes turning into tiny crescents as he broke into an amicable smile. Changkyun couldn’t help but find him cute. It momentarily struck him as odd to think of cute men while he was a suspect of theft but a small voice that suspiciously sounded like Hyungwon whispered that if his day was going to be that shitty, taking in small blessings such as cute boys walking in couldn’t hurt.

“I’m Son Hyunwoo, I was at the bookshop earlier.” Cute man introduced himself, gesturing toward Changkyun with a brief bow. “I would’ve come sooner but I had an appointment.”

“Oh right, the witness!” Officer Min exclaimed with a clap of his hands. “Please take a seat.”

“There was a witness?” Changkyun wondered aloud, scratching the back of his head.

“Ah, yes.” Hyunwoo bowed again as he sat. “I hope I’ll be of help.” He added while rummaging through his small backpack before producing a phone that he handed to the officer.

____

Changkyun gave a side glance toward the man by his side. Being walked home from the precinct by the cutie who just saved his ass from being accused of theft was definitely not what he imagined things would turn out when he got handcuffed earlier this afternoon.

"So…" Changkyun started.

"Ah!" Hyunwoo held up his free hand, jacket hanging over his forearm, visibly startled. "I'm not the talkative type. This must be awkward for you, I apologise."

"No, no, no." Changkyun shook his head. "Don't worry."

Silence fell on them again. It was a strange situation to be in for sure but not as bad as it could have been, Changkyun thought.

"Maybe we'll see each other?" Hyunwoo said after a while.

Changkyun looked up. "Huh?" He blinked, wondering if he missed a part of the conversation.

"I meant, it would be nice to see each other again?" Hyunwoo smiled, kind of sheepishly. "It's not the best circumstances to meet people but since I've just moved to Seoul…"

"Oh!" Changkyun smiled too, catching up with Hyunwoo's train of thought. "I owe you one, y'know so… How about dinner?" He offered.

Hyunwoo stopped walking, blinked once.

"I- I- I mean!" Changkyun spluttered, realising how sudden and bold his words were. "Like a thank you dinner. Not a _ dinner _ dinner, you know." Changkyun winced, shrugging high to hide his embarrassment.

_ Great job, Changkyun, great job! _

Hyunwoo broke into that smile again, gentle and awkwardly cute. The smile stayed on while he was searching through his backpack for his phone like he did back at the precinct, and maybe Changkyun’s eyes were playing him tricks but he could’ve sworn the man’s cheeks were pink. Maybe a reflection of the neon signs?

“Here, you can add yourself in my contacts.”

Changkyun took the phone held out to him, fished his own phone from his jeans’ back pocket and unlocked it. Much to his surprise, Hyunwoo’s phone didn’t have a proper lock, he only had to swipe across the screen to light it up. In few quick thumb moves, one phone in each hand, Changkyun accessed the application he was looking for and shook both his hands, adding each other. Then he returned his phone to Hyunwoo who accepted it with a curt bow, round impressed eyes stuck on the screen.

“Wow! You’re good with phones!” He said with a sort of childish awe.

“You say that like you’ve never used a smartphone before.” Changkyun teased, shuffling forward.

“Actually I don’t.”

Changkyun halted once more. “What, really?”

There was a beat of intensely awkward silence and this time, Hyunwoo most certainly blushed, eyes stubbornly stuck on his shoes.

“Well, I never really used this one before today…” He half mumbled, walking past Changkyun.

“I’ll help you!” Changkyun hastily added as a mean to apologise, following after him. “If you want.”

The other man nodded, his pouty lips strained in a tight smile. Changkyun discreetly rolled his eyes at himself. Human interactions outside of Kihyun and Hyungwon were so complicated. He hoped by the time they would settle a date for that dinner that Hyunwoo would have forgotten about Changkyun being a walking embarrassment. They stopped in front of a five stories building neatly sitting between two taller ones, Changkyun signalling his home being there with a vague gesture in direction of the grey windows above their heads.

“Thanks again.”

Changkyun waved at Hyunwoo as he took one last glance behind his shoulder before pushing the door to his building. He had his new savior’s chat open and was wondering what he could write when his phone buzzed.

_ Are you far? Do you need me to pick you up? _

Changkyun almost froze on spot, ready to bolt out of the elevator he just stepped in. Kihyun was so scary when it came to the people close to him doing unusual stuff, he was ridiculously fast to pick up anything out of the ordinary. Changkyun not heading straight home from work was one of those instances. Past professional deformation probably.

_ stop freaking out, am in the elevator… _🙄

_ Wonnie isn’t answering as usual, I was just worried. _

The use of Hyungwon’s nickname at least indicated wrath wouldn’t fall upon him. His phone buzzed again, from Hyunwoo this time. Changkyun bit his lip, typing fast. Hyunwoo’s words were as awkward and cryptic on screen as they were live. Which Changkyun found cute. Changkyun gave himself a quick glance over, adjusted the sleeves on his arms and breathed in slowly, ready to innocently tell - read lie - to Kihyun on his whereabouts. Omitting the precinct trip was a necessity if he wanted peace to remain on their small flat-share. He couldn’t help the soft chuckle at Hyunwoo’s awkward but cute last message, shoving his phone into his back pocket.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading until here! What did you think? Let me know? :3 Here or on twitter it's fine ^^
> 
> Oh, and there might be a little bonus waiting for you on twitter ;P (link will be up after reveals ^^)
> 
> Update: you'll find the bonus [here](https://twitter.com/whalienwonder/status/1180240690216869889?s=19)


	3. Chapter Two: Reminiscence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Changkyun peeked from the corner of the room, heart hammering loud in his ears. By no means was Changkyun a poor liar but Kihyun had that weird ability to see through half of his bullshitting, which was a scary feat. He spotted Kihyun neatly wrapped in a peach-coloured apron above a black hoodie and ripped jeans, sleeves carefully pulled up to work more easily. And a knife in one hand. Kihyun lifted his gaze up, immediately falling on him. Changkyun smiled cheekily.
> 
> “Hi hyung, I’m home.”
> 
> “Welcome back, brat.” Kihyun’s expression softened, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm back with chapter two! It took me a bit but I did manage to finish it. I hope you'll like it and have fun reading it ~ Here we mostly see Hyungwon and Kihyun and how they function on the daily :3

“What got you so late?”

Kihyun’s voice came from the kitchen area as soon as he heard Changkyun closing the door behind him. To which Changkyun silently cringed before taking in a breath and outright lying to his friend and guardian.

“Met an old acquaintance at the bookshop.” he replied while toeing off his shoes.

“An old acquaintance?” The suspicion in Kihyun’s voice was crystal clear. “Care to elaborate?”

Changkyun peeked from the corner of the room, heart hammering loud in his ears. By no means was Changkyun a poor liar but Kihyun had that weird ability to see through half of his bullshitting, which was a scary feat. He spotted Kihyun neatly wrapped in a peach-coloured apron above a black hoodie and ripped jeans, sleeves carefully pulled up to work more easily. And a knife in one hand. Kihyun lifted his gaze up, immediately falling on him. Changkyun smiled cheekily.

“Hi hyung, I’m home.”

“Welcome back, brat.” Kihyun’s expression softened, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Changkyun swallowed back his thumping heart, feeling like he was back two years ago, lying through his teeth every damn day of the year, much to Kihyun’s chagrin. Changkyun hated this but peace came at a price as the saying goes so lie he did.

“A school friend. He offered me a coffee after running into him and we didn’t see the time while catching up.” Changkyun said as casually as he could, walking to the counter where Kihyun was chopping vegetables. “It smells nice in here! Can I help you with something?” he asked innocently to steer the conversation far away from his afternoon whereabouts.

Kihyun looked up once again, eyes squinting briefly as if to gauge Changkyun’s words on his bullshit-o-meter, waving him away after a short thinking time. “No, I’ll be fine, it’s almost ready. You should go wash up before Hyungwon comes back and hogs the bathroom though.”

As if summoned by Kihyun’s words, they heard the front door lock beeping and mere moments later, the lanky tattooed figure that made up the third part of their flat-share appeared, as nonchalant as his usual self.

“Speaking of the devil.” Kihyun snorted.

Hyungwon gave an artistic bow as soon as he stepped in view of his two flatmates. As exaggerated as it was, it was still undeniably elegant and if Changkyun could see it, he could bet Kihyun saw it too and it wouldn’t fail to annoy him. The very obvious eye-roll paired with the shaking of his head was a tame reaction coming from Kihyun but a usual and expected one nonetheless.

“At your service, your midgesty~” Hyungwon said, voice too sultry as he stood back up.

Changkyun couldn’t help the cackle escaping him as Hyungwon draped his tall and thin frame over his, tattooed arms snaking in the gentlest embrace around his shoulders.

“You’re home late, bean pole.” Kihyun nagged with a glare in Hyungwon’s direction, chopping a carrot unnecessarily hard. “And you only serve yourself anyway.”

“I don’t need no master and I’m master of none.” Hyungwon shrugged. “Are you spying on me? Do I need to report to you?”

Kihyun pointed his knife, eyes narrowing, at Hyungwon who simply stuck his tongue out, face seemingly devoid of any emotion, unphased. Changkyun only chuckled and in a corner of his head, he was aware that from an outsider’s eye, it would definitely seem like a bloody fight was about to break out but from his spot on the kitchen stool, he could see the mirth in Kihyun’s eyes as he fake-glared at their friend, the corners of his mouth twitching with a restrained smile just as he was feeling Hyungwon’s characteristic laughter building in his chest, still pressed against Changkyun’s back. A burst of laughter that indeed shook Hyungwon’s thin body seconds later.

“You looked far from threatening!” Hyungwon pressed himself closer to Changkyun.

“Don’t make me poke holes in your flat ass as retaliation.” Kihyun threatened once more before going back to chopping the last of his vegetables. “Go wash up young lads, and fast!”

“Lads? Just how many centuries old are you?” Hyungwon laughed.

Changkyun snaked out of Hyungwon’s arms just in time to avoid being slapped with a metal spoon, which made a nice loud sound on Hyungwon’s naked forearm. He stood there for a few seconds, mouth agape and his hand clutched over the now reddening spot before pointing an outraged finger in Kihyun’s face.

“YAH! That freaking hurts!”

“Don’t yah me, I’m still your elder.” Kihyun said, trying to keep tone and face both stern. “I’m only giving you the price for your hard work.” he snickered.

Changkyun started to walk backwards, giggling over Hyungwon’s scandalised face, aiming for the general direction of the bathroom.

“And you, watch where you walk before you crash into furniture.”

“Sir, yes sir!” Changkyun laughed, back bumping lightly into a shelf. “Bathroom’s mine!” he yelled over his shoulder, sprinting the last steps.

Unfortunately for him, Hyungwon had a good use for his extra-long legs once in a while. Which happened to be now, allowing him to cross the distance between the kitchen island he was previously standing at and the small corridor that led to the bedrooms and the bathroom in a blink.

Changkyun tried to block his path by standing firmly on the threshold, holding on for dear life. Hyungwon, fists on his hips - a habit he probably unconsciously borrowed from Kihyun, Changkyun thought - raised an eyebrow in mild disbelief, amused smile on his lips.

“You’re really challenging me?”

Changkyun bit his lower lip, refraining himself from laughing, and nodded.

Hyungwon shrugged. “As you wish, buddy.”

There was a small glint in his eyes, something fiery that sometimes surfaced and that always intrigued Changkyun. Another thing that he wondered about was his friend’s strength: he looked far less strong than he really was. Most of the time, Changkyun wouldn’t think about it at all, but in some instances like tonight, he truly questioned where Hyungwon stored all his strength.

Hyungwon was simply holding him, arms wrapped around his waist, and pushing him out of the way by just walking forwards, shoving Changkyun inside the bathroom. Changkyun didn’t know how this was possible, Hyungwon didn’t look like he put any effort into it, as if Changkyun was some lightweight oversized plushy, manhandled easily even if he was putting up some resistance.

“How can you be so strong?” Changkyun pouted as Hyungwon closed the door behind him, making sure it was locked.

“Top secret.” Hyungwon replied with a sharp gaze that made Changkyun shrink a little against the sink. “Now” he continued in a much lower tone. “Can you tell me what made you skip a whole afternoon of work?!”

Changkyun lowered his head, heavy sigh in his chest. It was unavoidable and if he was  _ allowed _ to lie to Kihyun, he definitely couldn’t bypass Hyungwon. And in the case it was something too big, Hyungwon would inform Kihyun anyway. It had always been like that between the three of them: Changkyun would find himself in trouble, either it was Hyungwon the first to know and he could gauge whether it was worth worrying Kihyun or not, sometimes laughing and trying to help Changkyun out of his misery, sometimes sternly warning him to never do that again; or it was Kihyun and then Changkyun would be in trouble because Kihyun had to choose between being a man of integrity as a police officer, which could’ve landed Changkyun’s ass in jail a couple of times, and protecting the young and wild man he half unwillingly became the guardian of. Well, that was a little more over two years now.

Yes, it had been a while since Changkyun stopped doing stupid things so he guessed it was why Hyungwon looked somehow... disappointed? He couldn’t really tell as sometimes his friend was unreadable. Changkyun briefly thought how funny it was that the one between them who wasn’t really trying to be mysterious actually was the most mysterious and hard to read: Changkyun tried to be mysterious for the aesthetic - the tattooed emo look helped in that area - but he knew he was an open book no matter how hard he tried; Kihyun leant more on the guarded side than he was mysterious, really, what with the metaphorical walls neatly and perfectly built around him. Hyungwon, however, was a walking enigma: besides his unnatural strength, Changkyun met him when both of them were at their lowest and yet even then Hyungwon had seemed in control of his life, strangely never got sick and somehow magically manifested himself whenever he was being talked about, just like earlier. When Changkyun's string of problems started to die down, he easily managed to open his tattoo parlor in one of the nicest streets of the city and hired Changkyun a few months later. Hyungwon kept talking about turning the wheel of fortune and strokes of luck. Maybe that was it.

Hyungwon moved to turn on the water in the shower in his peripheral vision, effectively bringing Changkyun back to the present but also propelling him in the past: they used to do that when trouble kept kicking Changkyun in the ass, hiding their voices behind the curtain of a steamy shower. Hyungwon lifted Changkyun's gaze with a finger under his chin.

"Come on, spill."

Changkyun heaved out a sigh, stubbornly looking at his friend’s plush lips instead of his eyes, still dreading the moment to say the truth even if he was innocent in this specific case.

“I was at the precinct.”

Changkyun waited for an inevitable exasperated sigh that actually never came. He looked up at Hyungwon who simply nodded for him to continue and this simple gesture made the tension in his shoulders leave for the tiniest bit.

“Got arrested for theft.”

Hyungwon’s eyebrows shot up for his hairline this time.

“I didn’t steal anything tho!” Changkyun added hastily. “It was a misunderstanding!”

“A misunderstanding?” Hyungwon repeated, head tilting to one side with an indecipherable smile.

“Yeah. Well, more like those dumb teens decided to use me as a decoy to steal some porn magazines.” Changkyun pinched the bridge of his nose with another sigh. “I’m glad there was a witness otherwise Kihyun would probably be fetching me there…”

“As a decoy? Did they put something in your bag?”

Changkyun nodded, remembering how the alarm went off after he had paid for his own stuff and how he nearly died on spot when the porn magazine after the discovery of that ridiculous publication in his personal bag.

“A heterosexual one, at that!”

After ten minutes of recounting in details - the complete arrest with handcuffs, his protestations, officer Min’s strange but appreciated kindness, Hyunwoo the cute unexpected witness - what exactly happened on that fateful afternoon, it seemed like Changkyun’s lamentations were hilarious in Hyungwon’s eyes, Hyungwon who was half bent over the sink to maintain balance as he slapped his own thigh.

“Not funny…” Changkyun pouted, arms crossed over his chest.

“That’s the funniest shit I’ve heard in a decade!” Hyungwon managed in between fits of laughter.

A knock on the door interrupted them.

“Are you sure you’re washing up in there?”

“Yes Mom!” Hyungwon replied back, instantly erupting in giggles again.

This made Changkyun smile and they stared at each other briefly, picturing Kihyun’s eyeroll behind the door, laughter bubbling between them.

“Your mom would kick you in the ass as I’m about to if you don’t hurry up, Chae Hyungwon.”

More laughter ensued as they both exited the bathroom, falling behind Kihyun as he led the way to the dinner table.

“Don’t tell him.” Changkyun mouthed with praying hands.

Hyungwon winked, underlining his conniving smile, as he drew his arm around Changkyun’s shoulders. They sat down with Kihyun’s complaints about them being divas for taking so long in the bathroom for such a trivial task as washing up to eat as background noise. It was only when Changkyun dove in his bowl of rice, excitedly picking meat to go along with his first mouthful, that Hyungwon’s gaze darkened briefly as he grabbed tightly his chopsticks. Seconds later when Changkyun turned to him to ask if he wanted anything, Hyungwon was looking at him kindly and stole the steamed potatoes that Kihyun was about to engulf, smiling the most innocent of smiles while Kihyun sat there shocked and outraged, ready to stab him with his chopsticks. Changkyun fell backwards laughing, accidentally kicking the table with his knee, momentarily distracting Kihyun from carrying out Hyungwon’s murder. It seemed like peace would remain on their flatshare and Changkyun felt thankful to his friend. Well, peace was a big word all things considered since Hyungwon’s impending death had been delayed by five minutes only.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it for this chapter! I hope you had fun reading :3 Tell me what you thought of it here in the comments or on twitter, I'd be super happy to talk with you ~ See you for the next chapter! ^^v

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading so far and don't hesitate to leave me a comment here or on twitter! I also have a cc if you're too shy ;P


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